Also he was going in for a different
branch of the work--roads and railway construction--so that it was only
in the quadrangle and the passages that the two ever met.
But one afternoon, soon after Christmas, Peer was standing at work in
the big designing-room, when he heard steps behind him, and, turning
round, saw Klaus Brock and--Ferdinand Holm.
"I wanted to make your acquaintance," said Holm, and when Klaus had
introduced them, he held out a large white hand with a red seal-ring on
the first finger. "We're namesakes, I understand, and Brock here tells
me you take your name from a country place called Holm."
"Yes. My father was a plain country farmer," said Peer, and at once felt
annoyed with himself for the ring of humility the words seemed to have.
"Well, the best is good enough," said the other with a smile. "I say,
though, has the first-term class gone as far as this in projection
drawing? Excuse my asking. You see, we had a good deal of this sort of
thing at the Military Academy, so that I know a little about it."
Thought Peer: "Oh, you'd like to give me a little good advice,
would you, if you dared?" Aloud he said: "No, the drawing was on the
blackboard--the senior class left it there--and I thought I'd like to
see what I could make out of it."
The other sent him a sidelong glance. Then he nodded, said,
"Good-bye--hope we shall meet again," and walked off, his boots creaking
slightly as he went. His easy manners, his gait, the tone of his voice,
all seemed to irritate and humiliate Peer.
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